The Nightside of Eden
by carnival justice
Summary: 30 Angsts Livejournal challenge. Tselena drabbles and oneshots. Fic 8: Listen Up... and now, a word from Reno.
1. Be There

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix.

**Theme(s): **#2 - Toys (for when you die, I'll be there for you)

**Title: **Be There

**Rating: **K+

---

Was he going to live?

That was the question plaguing Elena's mind as she sat next to the hospital bed on which Tseng was laying practically motionless, save for his chest rising with each ragged breath he took. The doctors had said that the chances of him dying were low and that his condition was no longer critical, but in spite of that, Elena still wondered. She hadn't seen him awake and coherent in all the hours she'd spent by his side since he'd been wounded at the Temple of the Ancients.

As she absently fingered a strand of his long, ebony hair, she thought of what had happened at the temple.

If there was one thing that she'd learned that day, it was that fate had a sick sense of humour. It reminded her of someone dangling a toy just within a cat's reach, then jerking it away as the feline tried to swipe at it. While a cat may have enjoyed that game, Elena certainly didn't.

She bit her lip and emitted a shaky sigh as she went over the last conversation they'd shared. It was obvious that neither of them had expected the job to end the way it did.

_"Tseng, what's this?" she looked at the Keystone with interest. "Can we find the Promised Land with this?"_

"...I wonder." He, too, examined the object. "Anyway, we have to report to the President."

"Be careful, Tseng."

"Yeah..." A pause. "Hey Elena, how 'bout dinner after this job's over?"

_It had taken her a second to realize what he'd just said--it was what she'd been hoping would happen for a long time. She felt her face get warm and was certain she was blushing._

"Th... Thank you very much," she said with a shy smile.

But almost as soon as Elena had reached out, fate flicked its wrist and pulled Tseng just out of her grasp. She wasn't there when it happened, but she could've sworn she almost heard fate's barbarous laughter when Reeve had informed her, could almost see its hideous face in the blood Tseng had been rapidly losing.

She stopped stroking his hair and instead took his cold hand into her own. If he was to die, Elena wasn't about to let him go alone. This time, she was going to be there.

-Fin-

---

**A/N: **This one probably would have worked better if Tseng wasn't alive and kicking in AC, but hey, what can ya do?

Thanks for reading, and reviews are always appreciated. :)


	2. Wish

**Disclaimer: **I don't FFVII or any of the characters.

**Theme(s): **#24 - Blush (no future)

**Title: **Wish

**Rating: **T

---

"Yo, 'Lena."

Elena glanced up from her barely touched drink when she heard Reno's voice addressing her above the din of the bar. "What?"

"Well, you see..." Reno trailed off, raising his eyebrows for dramatic effect. He lifted his beer mug to his mouth and took a long sip, glancing at Elena out of the corner of his eye and smirking around the rim of the glass, obviously enjoying trying to keep Elena in suspense.

Elena gave him an exasperated look in an attempt to prompt him to get to the point. He set the mug down.

"...me and Rude've been thinking," he continued.

Elena bit back the reply of, "That's a change," that had initially popped into her head. Instead, she simply nodded. "Uh huh, and...?"

"...and we think..." Elena cast a glance at the bald man who sat on the other side of Reno. Rude did seem to be paying attention to the conversation, but was as quiet as ever. As far as Elena was concerned, that was a good thing, since Reno could talk enough for the both of them, especially after having a few drinks.

"...that _you_ have a crush on Tseng." Reno leaned back, tipping his stool onto two legs, and crossed his arms in front his chest, looking impressed with his own deduction. That cocky smirk was wiped off his face when he lost his balance and nearly fell on his ass.

After that mishap, he repositioned the stool the way it was intended to be and looked at Elena expectantly, as if waiting for confirmation. "So... are we right?"

"Ha, ha, ha... wait, what?" Elena had been laughing at Reno's near catastrophe and hadn't quite registered what he'd said. Then it hit her. Her immediate reaction was to bring her hand up to her mouth, which had formed a bit of an _o_ shape. She knew she must have been blushing.

"You heard me," Reno replied, finishing off his beer. He cocked a brow, examining Elena's face. "So, I take it that's a 'yes'...?" He didn't even try to hide the amusement in his tone.

Elena turned an even deeper shade of red. "Even if I did, it wouldn't be any of your business!" she answered, far more sharply than she'd intended to. Even Rude seemed surprised by her tone.

"Damn. S_omeone's_ a bit touchy." Reno pretended to shrink away from her. "I was just fucking around, yo. No need to go all PMS on me."

Elena sighed, wondering why she'd bothered to come to the bar with Reno and Rude in the first place. She didn't even like drinking and she should have expected that she'd be at odds with Reno by the time the night was over. That wasn't something she particularly wanted, since Reno was her coworker. She glanced down at her watch before speaking again.

"Sorry, Reno. I guess I'm just... tired." She stood up. "I'm going to go now. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

The other Turks said their good byes, and Elena shook her head at the hushed tones that followed. She didn't understand how they could sit around and gossip like a couple of housewives all the time. They were supposed to be professionals.

Elena left the bar and stepped out into the foggy night. As she waited for a chance to cross the street, she thought about what Reno had said. She really hadn't meant to snap at him. It was obvious that he'd just been teasing her, which was not an uncommon thing.

The traffic light blinked from green to red. Elena swiftly crossed to the other side of the road. Though there was a fair amount of traffic, the sidewalks were almost deserted. It wasn't shocking; walking alone at night in Midgar could be dangerous. Elena wasn't worried. She was more than capable of defending herself.

_I shouldn't have gotten so defensive back there... Shit. I really need to start thinking before opening my mouth..._

Unfortunately, that didn't just apply to social situations. The full sting of Reno's playful inquiry hit her as she thought back to her first mission as a Turk. The orders had been simple; find and track Sephiroth. That was it. There was nothing in the assignment about blurting said orders to the enemy. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to forget the look on Tseng's face, the harsh disapproval in his grey eyes or the thinly masked irritation in his voice. It was obvious that, to him, she was little more than the ditzy rookie.

But she wanted to be more; _so _much more.

When she turned the corner, she caught sight of a familiar structure through the fog; the apartment building in which she lived.

Elena sped up a little, her mind returning to its previous train of thought.

Even she thought it was pathetic, the way she kept wishing that he'd wake up one morning and... she didn't know. Decide that he cared about her as more than just a valuable asset to the Turks?

Elena sighed. Like that would ever happen. Hell, she doubted he even thought that much of her.

No matter how optimistic she tried to stay, no matter how much she wanted to deny the obvious, the facts remained.

She knew deep down that her and Tseng couldn't possibly have a future when there was no chance of a past or present.

-Fin-

---

Thank you for reading! Feedback is loved. :)


	3. Precious Illusion

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix. 

**Theme(s): **#21 - Touching the illusion

**Title:** Precious Illusion

**Rating: **K+

---

Her head is resting against his shoulder and he's stroking her soft, blonde hair. She gazes up at him with love written across her pretty features. He returns her smile, but his eyes don't share the same warmth as hers. She doesn't seem to notice, or simply chooses not to. He can't tell which and would rather not. He wants to let her hang onto the illusion that this is okay for just a little while longer.

He's already seen beyond the illusion. Turks shouldn't love. Cold, bloodstained hands aren't meant to be held and a heart hard enough to kill without flinching can't possibly be broken.

Damn it, she should know it just as well as he does. It would make this a lot easier, but she could be so naive. That type of innocence isn't often seen in this profession, and he wishes she could keep it, but there was no denying that she would have to become as jaded as the rest of them. He wonders why she'd decided to dirty her smooth little hands in this line of work as he takes one of them and locks his fingers with hers.

She starts to smile, but her smile soon fades into a look of worry when she examines his face.

"Tseng? What's wrong?"

He wants to tell her, but he just can't bring himself to do it. Not tonight. He's going to pretend it's all right for what he desperately hopes to be the last time. He starts to force a smile, but it becomes genuine after looking directly into her eyes, even though it shouldn't. Sometimes, he despises the way she makes him feel.

"Nothing." And he brings his lips to hers so she can't question him further and risk shattering her precious illusion.

-Fin-

---

Hah, Tseng finally gets more focus in this one. :)

Thanks for reading--I hope you liked it, and as always, your thoughts either way are loved and appreciated.


	4. Web of Despair

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix. 

**Theme(s): **#14 - Kiss (tears of blood)

**Title: **Web of Despair

**Rating: **T

---

Even though they were gone, Tseng could still hear their venomous inquiries of '_Where is Mother?_' echoing through his head. The air around him still felt heavy with the heat of Kadaj's breath from when the youth hissed those words into his face over and over and over. Tseng had little recollection of what had finally triggered their decision to leave. By that time, everything was just a sanguine haze of colour, sound, and pain.

With effort, he lifted his arm, surprised that he could even move. His torn sleeve couldn't hide the gashes on his arm, some of them still sluggishly bleeding. He allowed his arm to drop back to his side like a block of lead as he attempted to sit up. It didn't take long for him to surrender to the painful protests coming from his body. He furrowed his brow. This wouldn't do. He and Elena had to get back to Midgar. There was no telling what Kadaj and his brothers had planned for the president.

"Elena?" he hoarsely spoke the woman's name from between his bloody lips, self inflicted from biting down so as not to break under the harsh barrage of questions and the ruthlessness that followed each silent refusal to answer.

He wearily lifted his heavy head, frantically scanning the area with his grey eyes. They soon landed on the heap of dark blue, deep red, and blonde that was Elena. She was several feet away from him and he couldn't tell if she was even breathing.

"...Elena!"

Dragging himself on trembling hands and lacerated knees, he crawled over to Elena. She was, to his relief, still alive. However, she wasn't in the best of conditions. Though the blood stains were hard to see on her tattered blazer and pants, the white blouse she had on was a ragged, red soaked mess implying that she'd lost a lot of the vital fluid.

His strength gave out and he collapsed down on his front beside her, sick with the realization that they could very well die out there. They were far away from any kind of civilization and too weak to even move, let alone travel for hours on end to find a town.

It wasn't the prospect of dying that bothered Tseng. As a Turk, one couldn't rule out an early grave. Rather, it was the bitter taste of failure that this left in his mouth. He'd put himself and, even worse, Elena in this position to keep Jenova's head in Rufus Shinra's possession, as ordered. He hadn't even managed to do that. Those silver haired bastards were probably on their way to Midgar, with little reservation about harming anyone to get what they were after, which no doubt included the president himself.

Just then, he noticed Elena's brown eyes flutter open. She appeared a bit dazed at first, but when she tried to move, her pained wince told Tseng that she had been violently pulled back into their present reality.

"Are they... gone?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Yes."

Relief washed over Elena's features.

"But," Tseng continued, "I'm sure that this isn't the end..." he paused, "of _them_, anyway."

"Tseng..." Elena stared at him, wide eyed, clearly noticing the morbidity behind those words.

"Elena." He leaned over and kissed her. "...I'm sorry you have to suffer through this."

"...D-don't be." Elena gently traced a finger down his cheek, leaving a thin streak of crimson from the not quite dry blood on her hand. It matched his despondency well. "It'd be worse... suffering without you..."

"Elena..."

"Besides... w-we might make it out of this yet..." She gave him a weak smile.

Tseng forced himself to return it. Elena was always optimistic, a ray of sunshine in even the darkest of situations.

It was then they heard footsteps coming toward them. Both Turks tensed with the fear that it could be a returning Kadaj. Breaths were simultaneously released, though, when a familiar, red cloaked figure came into sight.

-Fin-

---

Well, if nothing else, you gotta love the brief Vincent cameo, right? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I hope you liked it and please review. :)


	5. Eye for an Eye

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix. 

**Theme(s): **#18 - (lost you forever)

**Title: **Eye for an Eye

**Rating: **T

---

The apartment had never felt so cold, so big, and so... empty. Even the soft sounds of her own footsteps against the floor bothered Elena as she mingled about in the kitchen. She really wasn't much for cooking on the best of days, and the thought of eating right now made her tightly knotted stomach turn, but she had to do something to keep herself from breaking the last string of sanity she felt she had left.

She had been _right there_ when it had happened and she hadn't been able to do anything to stop it.

The images flashed through her head over and over again, like a horror movie she didn't want to watch. The black car's finishing gleaming under the streetlight's orange glow, the sudden appearance of the gun and the finger on the trigger, the bullet making no mistake about its destination and finally, crimson blooming from that little hole as Tseng dropped dead at her feet. The murderer (though Elena calling him that would be a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black) had sped away before Elena could catch a glimpse of his face. She hadn't even been able to get the lisence plate number from where she'd been standing in numb shock. It wasn't until the offending vehicle was out of sight, and when Tseng didn't get up, that she'd realized exactly what had just happened.

She remembered pulling him under the streetlight and brushing his ebony locks out of his face, hoping in vain that this was all just some kind of well masked lie or that it was all just a really bad dream. But the unfocused stare in his grey eyes confirmed what she'd already known. The tears she had so fiercely been holding back began to streaming down her face and, against her will, a strangled sob escaped her lips. She'd seen too many gunned down corpses in her career to buy into her own automatic denial.

She'd known, or should have known, that one of these days, one of them would be his... and if not his, hers or one of their friends'. When they made their living by killing and kidnapping, someone was bound to come seeking an eye for an eye.

She just hadn't thought it would happen so soon.

-Fin-

---

Yeah, it's no fun to kill people off, but sometimes it's necessary. x.x Good thing these ficlets are (mostly) going to be unrelated.

As usual, reviews are appreciated.


	6. It's Okay to be Human

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix. 

**Theme(s): **#31 - Cold

**Title: **It's Okay to be Human

**Rating: **K+

---

"I'm sorry, Elena. If the circumstances were different, then perhaps... but they're not at this time, so there's no way it could work out." Tseng's voice betrayed no emotion, and his stance was similarly indifferent--arms crossed in front of him, back straight and facial expression impassive.

Elena would be lying if she said that she wasn't hurt by that. Why didn't he seem to care? He was always one to follow his head over his heart, and Elena admired that about him, but the fork was in the road for a reason. Sometimes, the other path should be taken.

"You do understand, yes?"

Normally, Elena wouldn't have responded; she would have merely nodded and left the office, as it was after hours, and kept her anger, pain and embarrassment locked away inside, but this time, something just snapped. She stood rigid, and locked eyes with him. Clenching her trembling hands at her sides, she slowly shook her head.

"What I understand is that you're the most... the most... _detached_ person I've ever met!"

Elena didn't have a very tight reign over her mouth at the best of times, tending to speak before thinking, but this particular outburst really took the cake. She had always taken special care to watch what she said around Tseng, wanting to make a good impression, especially after the display on her first mission a couple of years ago. She'd done well in that, up until now. And what was worse, she couldn't stop the words from spewing out. She was disgorging two years' worth of love, pain and frustration.

"You know, you're allowed to have a real life and... real feelings! You don't have to act professional twenty-four seven. I-I mean, I've known you for two years now and I still feel like I barely know anything about _you_! Damnit, it's okay to be _human_!"

It was obvious that the issue wasn't rejection. If he would have flat out stated a general disinterest, she would have felt a lot better. Instead, he was simply apathetic, displaying no feelings, positive or negative, toward her at all. She knew that their line of work called for a certain amount of coldness, and that some people wouldn't consider someone who could kill a person without batting an eyelash human. But business was business. When it came to everyday life, she was every bit as human as anyone else. Why couldn't Tseng be?

While she'd been ranting, Tseng had been completely silent, not even opening his mouth to utter a single word. He actually looked stunned over her little spiel. Finally, he spoke, sounding as composed as ever despite appearences.

"Elena."

His voice brought her back to the present reality, and she felt her face grow hot. Tseng was her boss, and she had no right to tell him how to conduct himself. Why couldn't she learn to think before opening her mouth?

Unsure whether to apologize or explain herself or what, she simply looked at him helplessly, waiting for whatever it was he was going to say. "...yes?"

"It's getting late. We should probably go." And with that, he brushed past her and out of the office, leaving Elena standing there, wishing she hadn't said a word.

-Fin-

---

Just for the record, this is going to eventually have a 'companion' fic, dealing with Tseng's POV on the same event.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated. :)


	7. The Path We Walk

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix. 

**Theme(s): **#28 - Cause of Nature

**Title: **The Path We Walk

**Rating: **K+

---

_It's okay to be human._

No, it wasn't. Not for them.

As the leader of the Turks walked across the parking lot's slick pavement through the rainy night, he mentally replayed the scene that had just taken place in the office. Anyone could have seen that Elena was visibly upset, and he hated seeing her like that, but they had both chosen their paths. The paths were rocky and cavernous, and death lurked around every bend. If they walked down it together, both would be headed toward disaster.

He made it to his car and, after fumbling around in his pocket for the keys, unlocked the door on the driver's side and got in. Sticking the key in the ignition, Tseng let out a small sigh. As much as he tried to stifle them, he couldn't deny his feelings for Elena. The blonde rookie definitely had a warm place in his heart, his heart that he kept under lock and key.

She was new and didn't quite seem to understand all of the horrors of her profession, whereas he'd been there for years and had seen the worst of it. Attachments, he knew, only led to pain. He'd had to learn that the hard way.

When Tseng first been assigned to capture the last remaining Ancient and bring her to Hojo, it hadn't quite clicked just who he would be hunting. When following the instructions he'd been given led him to the home of Aeris Gainsborough, a girl he had known and cared for, the reality of the mission, and the rest of his life, had hit him like a bullet to the heart. It was then that he decided to sever his emotional ties, and avoid making new ones.

Even though he knew he wouldn't have to kill Elena, both of them were still walking down that dangerous path. They could trip and shatter at any time.

-Fin-


	8. Listen Up

** Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters or locations. It all belongs to Square-Enix.**

Theme(s): #3 - Hand phone, cell phone, mobile phone (a call from heaven)

**Title:** Listen Up

**Rating: **T

---

Yo, Tseng. Sometimes, I just gotta wonder what 'Lena sees in you... and why you don't pull the ever present stick out of your ass and see it in her. Yeah, yeah, I've overheard some of the conversations you guys've had. That's right, I was eavesdropping 'cause I'll be damned if there's anything _else_ to gossip about with Rude. So, in short, if you get that itchy feeling right around your nose, we're probably talkin' about you... but I'm getting off track here.

The point is, I've heard you talking to Blondie, talking about how it would be oh so unprofessional to date or fuck or whatever the hell it is you 'deeply regret' not being able to do with her. Look man, boss, whatever... I somehow doubt Ruf--the prez would really give two shits what you do with your private life. So, if you wanna bang Elena, bang her. If you don't, then for the love of the planet, stop half assing it and TELL her you ain't interested or you can't have a relationship right now or you're gay or whatever the fucking problem is.

You obviously didn't see her right now. We've pretty much finished the mission. She was just _waiting_ for you to call to check in on us. She knew you'd call her phone 'cause Rude's battery's dead at mo' and mine, well, it's in my other jacket pocket back at my apartment... I think.

Anyway, the phone rang and you should have seen her eyes. They abso-friggin'-lutely _lit up_ when she answered and heard your voice on the other end. Did you even listen to her voice when she told you how we'd done? No, probably not. It was just the words you cared about, and the mission process. Now, I'll applaud you for being all 'professional', but geez... you've seriously gotta open your eyes.

For all I tease her, I gotta admit 'Lena's a great chick and she shouldn't have to put up with this bullshit.


End file.
